Divination
Divination, or Fortune Telling, is a magical skill that allows Seers to see visions in reflective surfaces such as water or crystal. It can be used to view events in the past, present, or future. It is unknown whether scrying is an ability that only Seers possess or a skill that any gifted sorcerer can learn. It is also unknown whether it is an ability that all Seers are capable of or an innate ability similar to the gift of prophecy. It is one of the basic powers of witchcraft that all witches possess. Overview This ability allows user to gain information when channeled through arcane and mystical tools such as an Ouija Board. This ability is not however very reliable as the tools can be manipulated. Harry Greenwood, for instance, claims Ouija Boards are very vulnerable to tricksters and the Charmed Ones themselves were decieved by an Imposter Demon. Known Methods Chiromancy Chiromancy, also known as Palmistry or simply Palm Reading, is the art of foretelling the future through the study of the palm. A witch or Gypsy skilled in this art form can read and decipher the lines and creases in a person's hand to discover the person's lifeline, love line, family line and other aspects of their life. This type of fortune telling is shown to still be practiced by Gypsies."The Eyes Have It" Tasseomancy Tasseomancy is the art of reading or interpreting patterns in tea leaves to predict events in the future. This type of fortune telling is shown to still be practiced by Gypsies. Before Lydia Nicolae was killed, she read the tea leaves of Phoebe and Paige. She told Phoebe she was out of balance and helped Paige read her own leaves, which formed a bad omen."The Eyes Have It" Crystal-Gazing scrying on Arthur.]] Crystal-gazing is a form of scrying that uses crystal as its medium. The High Priestess Morgause was known to use this method; like Nimueh, she often used scrying to spy on her enemies (The Sins of the Father, The Tears of Uther Pendragon). Merlin has also been known to use this method. He saw a vision of the Great Dragon attacking Camelot in the Crystal of Neathid, and a vision of Morgana murdering Uther in the crystals of Crystal Cave (The Witch's Quickening, The Crystal Cave). Unlike Morgause (who used spells for scrying), Merlin appeared to see visions instinctively and had no control over what he saw. However, this changed after Morgana stripped him of his magic and trapped him in the Crystal Cave. Once his magic had been restored, Merlin was able to command the crystals to show him whatever he wanted to see. He was also able to speak to Arthur through the crystals and warn him about Morgana's plan (The Diamond of the Day). The renowned Seer Taliesin was also said to have scried prophecies in the crystals of Crystal Cave (The Crystal Cave). P. Russell was the first to use this ability at her cousin's speakeasy."Pardon My Past" Gideon used it on occasion in order to monitor the Charmed Ones and their activities. Oracles naturally have this ability. The most prominent of these was the Source's Oracle."Charmed Again, Part 1" Tarot Reading Tarot Reading is the art of reading cards to gain insight into future events. There are special kinds of cards designed especially for this purpose, known as a tarot cards. Several witches have been shown using these cards. The first time this was seen was in 1670, when the evil witch, Ruth, used tarot reading to alert Cole that the Charmed Ones had travelled back in time to thwart the plans he had to destroy their family line."All Halliwell's Eve" Another time, Paige was given a new tarot card set by Phoebe as a gift. She used them to predict the future about Cole and Phoebe's love life, which was uncannily accurate."Marry-Go-Round" A gypsy named Inez was also shown using tarot cards in the Cabaret Fantome."Show Ghouls" Chris Halliwell also once used tarot cards to predict his own future. Aquamancy views Merlin in her scrying fount.|250x250px]] Aquamancy, more commonly known as Hydromancy, is a form of scrying that uses water as its medium. The High Priestess Nimueh was known to use this method; she was often shown using a scrying fount to spy on her enemies (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice). To use this method, Nimueh would allow a few drops of her blood to drip into the water. She would then chant a spell and wave her hand over the water's surface, after which an image would appear (The Poisoned Chalice). Though Nimueh claimed to have powers of prediction, she was never shown using her scrying fount to view anything but the present (Le Morte d'Arthur). Merlin attempted to scry the Avalon Vial while he was trying to figure out its secrets (The Coming of Arthur). After speaking with the Druid Seer Lochru, Merlin saw a vision of Arthur's death in a pool of water (Arthur's Bane). The Disir were said to use an ancient pool to divine the will of the Triple Goddess. The pool was fed from a sacred stream at Caerlanrigh, the source of which was the Grove of Brineved (The Disir). Kyra, a seer with the power of premonition, used a magic pool to show others the future as well as find answers to their questions."Cheaper by the Coven" Aisha can see other locations through water after she became an Onyrix fairy. Mirror Gazing Mirror-gazing is the art of looking into a mirror to see past, present and future events. Alexi, a seer, with the power of premonition used a magic mirror to look and show others past, present and future events."Where There's Smoke There's a Firestarter" This ability is not to be mistaken for Catoptromancy, which is the ability to spy on others in the present through the use of mirrors. Catoptromancy Catoptromancy is a form of scrying that is accomplished by enchanting a mirror which will then visualize where the intended target is. Skilled witches can access this branch of divination through the usage of a spell. Oneiromancy has a vision of the future.]] Oneiromancy is a form of divination based on the interpretation of dreams. In the show, Seers have involuntary dreams in which they see the future. A seer's dreams can be stopped from not making him sleep at night if an enchanted bracelet is worn, but this only stops simple visions and not prophecies. Morgana Pendragon possesses this magical ability. However, oneiromancy is different from the other forms of divination because Seers aren't in control of their gift. Morgana wasn't able to fully control her dreams even after she had become a High Priestess. This was shown when she had a vision of the future without expecting it The Darkest Hour: Part One. Bibliomancy using this ability to answer Margarita Vera's question]] Bibliomancy is a branch of divination which allows the user to gain insight by using books (often of a sacred or magical nature) to obtain advice. The Vera family's Book of Shadows also possess this power, which allows it to answer any question made within its proximity as long the answer is within its pages. Acultomancy Acultomancy is a form of divination which allows the user to gain information through the use of needles. This seems to be a rare, yet powerful form of divination. Elder Priyanka Bari was very proficient with needles, using them for both acupuncture and magical examination purposes. She was able to use this ability to examine Macy Vaughn's demonic essence and even gave her a needle to help boost her Evil Sight. Necromancy Necromancy is a form of divination which allows the user to gain information through the deceased. This form of divination is exclusive to beings known as Necromancers. Although some may believe that a Necromancer's abilities are limited to only acquiring information from the dead, some – if not all – Necromancers have the ability to resurrect the dead. This form of divination is highly distrusted by magical authorities, particularly the Elders. Ouija Ouija is a form of divination which allows the user to gain information through a spirit board, also known as a ouija board. However, spirit boards are not very reliable as they can be manipulated. Harry Greenwood, for instance, stated that spirit boards are very vulnerable to tricksters, and the Charmed Ones themselves were deceived by an imposter demon that claimed to be their mother in order to manipulate them. Scrying Scrying is a form of divination which allows the user to locate a person or an object by gazing into a transparent, translucent, or otherwise reflective object. Appendices Scrying Spells *Nimueh using her scrying fount (The Mark of Nimueh, The Poisoned Chalice): **'Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, aliese hine, to Camelot he cymþ. ' **'Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, þa tacnian me yst þonne ieceþ sicle. Diegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, þa tacnian me yst þonne ieceþ sicle. Swilte ar ond calan, drædan morðor, to Camelot he cymþ.' *Morgause using her crystal (The Sins of the Father): **'Hider eft funde. On þisse ne middangeard.' **'Ætíe mé þá þé ic séce.' *Merlin experimenting with the Avalon Vial (The Coming of Arthur): **'Geriht læc me.' **'Fultume me.' **'Geondlihte gesweorc min.' Personal gain In late 1998, Phoebe Halliwell got a job as a hotel psychic to earn money for Prue's birthday. As The Amazing Phoebe, she used her premonition power to get the job and later saved an innocent from being hit by a car. When Piper found out, she scolded Phoebe for using her powers for personal gain. However, Gypsies such as Teresa have made a living out of fortune telling, as did P. Russell in the past. Whether or not using divination for this purpose is personal gain, is never truly established, as none of those practicing it have suffered from negative effects. This is in contrast with true premonitions, which cannot be used for personal gain. Notes and Trivia *As Divination is more a practiced skill than an actual magical power, it could be reasoned that most, if not all, beings could learn it. However, as it is dependent on practice, it should not be considered a basic power unless it is practiced regularly. See also *Scrying Fount *Morgause's Crystal References es:Adivinación fr:Divination (branche de la magie) pl:Wróżbiarstwo pt-br:Adivinhação Category:Powers Category:Divination Category:Mental magic